IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 488 

Supporting the people of Venezuela as they protest peacefully for democratic 

change and calling to end the violence. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 25, 2014 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. SALMON, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Ms. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. SIRES, Mr. GARCIA, Mr. DESANTIS, Mr. 

GRAYSON, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. 

MURPHY of Florida, Mr. YOHO, Mr. STOCKMAN, Mr. DUNCAN of South 

Carolina, and Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the people of Venezuela as they protest peacefully 

for democratic change and calling to end the violence. 

Whereas the United States Government should support the 

free and peaceful exercise of representative democracy in 

Venezuela, condemning violence and intimidation against 

the country’s political opposition, and calling for dialogue 

between all political actors in the country; 

Whereas, on February 12, 2014, also known in Venezuela as 

the National Youth Day, students began protesting in 

several cities against anti-democratic decisions and the 

crippling economy made by Venezuelan leader Nicolas 

Maduro; 


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•HRES 488 IH 

Whereas, on February 12, 2014, a judge issued an arrest 

warrant for Leopoldo Lo ́pez, leader of the opposition 

party Voluntad Popular, for baseless and unfounded allegations in connection with the student protests; 

Whereas, on February 17, 2014, the Government of Venezuela notified the United States Department of State 

that it had declared 3 consular officers at the United 

States Embassy in Venezuela personae non gratae; 

Whereas over the last year, the Government of Venezuela has 

expelled a total of 8 United States Government officials 

from Venezuela; 

Whereas, on February 18, 2014, opposition leader Leopoldo 

Lopez turned himself in to Venezuelan authorities, was 

arrested, and charged with criminal incitement, conspiracy, arson, and intent to damage property; 

Whereas Leopoldo Lopez is currently being held in a prison 

at a military facility; 

Whereas according to Amnesty International, ‘‘The charges 

brought against Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo 

Lo ́pez smack of a politically motivated attempt to silence 

dissent in the country’’; 

Whereas the Venezuelan Government has blocked users’ online images as opposition groups marched through Caracas; 

Whereas the Venezuelan people have been protesting economic, social, and political concerns facing their country, 

including corruption, rising inflation rates, unemployment, shortages of everyday products, increasing crime 

rates, and the erosion of human rights and respect for 

political dissent; 


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•HRES 488 IH 

Whereas, on February 19, 2014, President Barack Obama 

criticized the Venezuelan Government for arresting protesters, called for their release, and urged the government 

to focus on the ‘‘legitimate grievances of the Venezuelan 

people’’; 

Whereas, as of February 20, 2014, there have been 13 people 

killed, over 100 injured, and many persons unjustly detained due to pro-democracy demonstrations throughout 

Venezuela; 

Whereas Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro threatened to 

expel the United States news network CNN from Venezuela and has taken off the air the Colombian news 

channel NTN 24, which transmits in Venezuela, after 

news outlets reported on the nation-wide protests; 

Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 

released a statement on February 14, 2014, which ‘‘expresses its concern over the serious incidents of violence 

that have taken place in the context of protest demonstrations in Venezuela, as well as other complaints concerning acts of censorship against media outlets, attacks 

on organizations that defend human rights, and acts of 

alleged political persecution’’; and 

Whereas as a member of the Organization of American 

States and signatory to the Inter-American Democratic 

Charter, the Government of Venezuela has agreed to 

abide by the principles of constitutional, representative 

democracy, which include free and fair elections and adherence to its own constitution: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the people of Venezuela in their 

3 pursuit of freedom of expression and freedom of asVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:59 Feb 26, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR488.IH HR488

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•HRES 488 IH 

1 sembly to promote democratic principles in Ven2 ezuela; 

3 (2) deplores the inexcusable violence per4 petrated against opposition leaders and protesters in 

5 Venezuela, and the growing efforts to use politically 

6 motivated criminal charges to intimidate the coun7 try’s political opposition; 

8 (3) urges responsible nations throughout the 

9 international community to stand in solidarity with 

10 the people of Venezuela and to actively encourage a 

11 process of dialogue between the Government of Ven12 ezuela and the political opposition to end the vio13 lence; 

14 (4) urges the United States Department of 

15 State to work in concert with other countries in the 

16 Americas to take meaningful steps to ensure that 

17 basic fundamental freedoms in Venezuela are in ac18 cordance with the Inter-American Democratic Char19 ter and to strengthen the ability of the Organization 

20 of American States (OAS) to respond to the erosion 

21 of democratic norms and institutions in member 

22 states; 

23 (5) urges the United States Department of 

24 State to insist that the Secretary General of the 

25 OAS immediately convene the OAS’s Permanent 


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•HRES 488 IH 

1 Council to seek the most effective way to expedi2 tiously end the violence in Venezuela in accordance 

3 with the Inter-American Democratic Charter; and 

4 (6) supports the Inter-American Commission on 

5 Human Rights in calling upon the Venezuelan Gov6 ernment to ‘‘urgently adopt all measures that may 

7 be necessary to guarantee the rights to life, humane 

8 treatment, and security, as well as the political 

9 rights, the right of assembly, and the rights of free10 dom of association and freedom of expression of ev11 eryone under its jurisdiction’’. 

Æ 


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